Head-to-head AI model comparison graphic: GLM-5.3 (Z AI) vs Muse Spark 1.3 (Meta). Intelligence index 31.7 vs 36.6; output speed 74 vs 140 tokens per second; time to first token 1.7s vs 36s; output price $4.40 vs $4.25 per million tokens; input price $1.40 vs $1.25 per million tokens. franklineh.com
GLM-5.3 vs Muse Spark 1.3: head-to-head AI benchmark comparison. Muse Spark 1.3 leads on intelligence index, output speed, output price and input price; GLM-5.3 leads on time to first token.
Head to headBy Franklin AIUpdated

GLM-5.3 Max vs Muse Spark 1.3 Max: which responds faster?

Muse Spark 1.3 Max leads the intelligence index 36.6 to 31.7. Muse Spark 1.3 Max costs 7% less on blended price. See token costs, speed and which to pick.

Pick it for GLM-5.3 · Max

  • Shorter wait for the first token: 1.7 seconds against 36 seconds.

Pick it for Muse Spark 1.3 · Max

  • Higher intelligence index: 36.6 against 31.7.
  • Faster output once writing: 140 tokens per second against 74 tokens per second, which wins on total time beyond about 5,300 tokens.
  • Lower cost: $2.10 against $2.28 for 1 million input and 200,000 output tokens.

By the numbers

MetricGLM-5.3 (Max)Muse Spark 1.3 (Max)
Intelligence Index31.736.6
Input price (per 1M tokens)$1.40$1.25
Output price (per 1M tokens)$4.40$4.25
Output speed (tokens/s)74140
Time to first token1.7s36s
Release date2026-08-182026-09-02

GLM-5.3 (Max) (Z AI) and Muse Spark 1.3 (Max) (Meta) meet here on their recorded benchmark, price and speed data. No hands-on testing went into this write-up; it summarises the recorded benchmark, price and speed data for both models. What separates them most is responsiveness; Muse Spark 1.3 Max takes 36 seconds to produce its first token, GLM-5.3 Max 1.7 seconds.

Waiting time

Measured output speed is 74 tokens per second for GLM-5.3 Max and 140 tokens per second for Muse Spark 1.3 Max. Muse Spark 1.3 Max is ahead by 90% on throughput. Time to first token is 1.7 seconds for GLM-5.3 Max and 36 seconds for Muse Spark 1.3 Max. That is a genuine trade-off: GLM-5.3 Max starts sooner, while Muse Spark 1.3 Max finishes first once outputs run beyond about 5,300 tokens. Waits that long are felt on every chat-style request, though they matter less for batch jobs.

Add the two numbers up for an 800-token reply and GLM-5.3 Max finishes first: 13 seconds for GLM-5.3 Max, 42 seconds for Muse Spark 1.3 Max.

Running costs

GLM-5.3 Max lists $1.40 per million input tokens and $4.40 per million output tokens; Muse Spark 1.3 Max lists $1.25 and $4.25. Output rates are close, so the input rate does most of the work in favour of Muse Spark 1.3 Max.

For a sample workload of 1 million input tokens and 200,000 output tokens, GLM-5.3 Max would cost $2.28 and Muse Spark 1.3 Max $2.10, a difference of $0.18. Scale it up to a month of coding-assistant traffic at 30 million input and 3 million output tokens and the bill is $55.20 for GLM-5.3 Max against $50.25 for Muse Spark 1.3 Max.

The headline benchmark

GLM-5.3 Max records 31.7 on the intelligence index and Muse Spark 1.3 Max records 36.6. A lead of this size is hard to dismiss as noise. In relative terms, Muse Spark 1.3 Max scores 15% higher.

For context, that places GLM-5.3 Max 47th and Muse Spark 1.3 Max 36th out of 109 scored models still on offer.

For coding or maths work specifically, the catalogue has no dedicated index on either side yet.

Score per dollar

A blunt value measure, blended price over intelligence score, puts GLM-5.3 Max at $0.068 and Muse Spark 1.3 Max at $0.055 per point. Muse Spark 1.3 Max scores higher and costs less per point, so on price per point there is nothing to trade off.

Release timing

GLM-5.3 Max came first, on August 18, 2026; Muse Spark 1.3 Max followed on September 2, 2026. They are effectively contemporaries.

Quick answers

Is Muse Spark 1.3 Max better than GLM-5.3 Max?

Neither wins everywhere: Muse Spark 1.3 Max scores higher on the intelligence index, 36.6 to 31.7; Muse Spark 1.3 Max is 7% cheaper on blended price; Muse Spark 1.3 Max streams output 1.9 times as fast; and GLM-5.3 Max reaches its first token sooner.

When were GLM-5.3 Max and Muse Spark 1.3 Max released?

Muse Spark 1.3 Max is newer. It was released on September 2, 2026, 15 days after GLM-5.3 Max (August 18, 2026).

Where do these numbers come from?

The figures are the recorded benchmark, price and speed data in Franklin AI's model catalogue. This page is written from that data automatically; neither model was tested by hand for it.

Is Muse Spark 1.3 Max cheaper than GLM-5.3 Max?

Muse Spark 1.3 Max is cheaper on a blended basis. GLM-5.3 Max lists $1.40 per million input tokens and $4.40 per million output tokens; Muse Spark 1.3 Max lists $1.25 and $4.25. For 1 million input and 200,000 output tokens that is $2.28 against $2.10.

Are GLM-5.3 Max and Muse Spark 1.3 Max from the same company?

GLM-5.3 Max is made by Z AI and Muse Spark 1.3 Max by Meta. GLM-5.3 Max was released on August 18, 2026 and Muse Spark 1.3 Max on September 2, 2026.

Final whistle

In one line: it is close, with GLM-5.3 Max and Muse Spark 1.3 Max each holding a real advantage. Pick GLM-5.3 Max if users are waiting on the first word. Pick Muse Spark 1.3 Max if you need the higher overall score (36.6 against 31.7) and your outputs often run past about 5,300 tokens.

Where the numbers come from

The scores, speed and prices in this comparison come from independent third-party model evaluations that Franklin AI syncs each day, and the article was written from a snapshot of them. For the latest results, open the GLM-5.3 (Max) and Muse Spark 1.3 (Max) pages. The AI Benchmark methodology explains how that data is collected and shown.

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